12 Roses : My fictitious life
by girl in the green shoelaces
Summary: Yumi's average in every aspect, except hiding her true feelings, lets face it the cliché about wearing one's heart on their sleeve was created for her. So it would surprise everyone to know that it indeed was Yumi who had been creating the roses tales..
1. Chapter 1

12 Roses-My fictitious life

Yumi's average in every aspect, except hiding her true feelings, lets face it the cliché about wearing one's heart on their sleeve was created for her. So it would surprise everyone to know that it was indeed Yumi who had been creating the roses tales in their secondyear creative literature class.

And everyone knows Sachiko hates surprises...

So i've been dying to try my hand at a Maria Sama Ga Miteru fic...I own nothing never have and probably never will. I really don't think there's anything more to say other than enjoy the show.

Lights

Camera

Action!

…

"Alright class, your papers were interesting to say the least, and while I do so enjoy sifting through one thousand to fifteen hundred words of how each of you managed to magically reenact last night's episode of Sailor Moon; there was one outstanding tale that I will copy tonight and dispense to all of you tomorrow, perhaps you'll each learn something."

Miss. Nakamura's lecture was completely tuned out by the over excited student body of the classroom; they were far too interested in watching the clock, awaiting eagerly the ringing of the bells signifying their release for lunch. Even such a short break was more than welcome and the older woman merely sighed as she handed back papers marked with B- and "You're so energetic in class now put that energy into your writing" sprawled across the pages in red ink. Soon she was down to her last paper and she smiled as she recognized the penmanship. She would have never guessed that the quiet shy earnest simple girl who sat in the back would have created the most interesting tale in the class.

Walking back Yumi's desk noticed fidgeting combined with nervous ticks that worsened upon her approach. It was as if Yumi was preparing the apology in her head.

She could have taken that moment to praise the young teen then and there before the class however her intuition told her that Yumi would prefer to avoid such attention, so rather than congratulate her on having the only one hundred in the class, Ms. Nakamura placed the paper face down, nodded, and returned to her desk resolving to include a note of encouragement on the girls next paper.

Yumi for her part glanced at her writing assignment, the only requirement was that it be between one thousand and fifteen hundred words and as her eyes scanned the page for a grade she rationalized that if any student had completed the word count they would have an automatic one hundred. Placing the paper in her backpack she glanced up at the board reading the homework for the night, it was to add two hundred words minimum to the story they had created. Flinching she wished she could read the tale that Ms. Nakamura was photocopying, so that she would know what exactly the sensei was looking for.

"Yumi chan don't look so down. Everyone got B's and B-'s. She's a new teacher she'll figure out that she needs to curve the grades in order to succeed."

Yoshino's voice instantly pulled her back to the real world and smiling she glanced at Shimako who was staring down at her paper which impossibly was also marked with a B minus a small note sprawled out across the bottom of the page.

"Well that was insightful. Yumi chan I do believe that the bell will ring momentarily, will you be joining me for lunch?"

Smiling and nodding happily Yumi reached down for her bag readying herself to stand and escape the classroom, though so much of her desperately wanted to stay and discuss her grade with the teacher she decided that she could point out her improperly graded paper in their next class.

Yoshino had started a conversation with Shimako before Yumi could pull herself away she glanced at the front of the classroom where the teacher sat at her desk grading papers and silently she wished that she could in fact be with her Onee Sama at that moment. Perhaps at the end of the year she would have cultivated enough skill to write a story that her Onee Sama would enjoy reading. Still recently their relationship had become less than ideal and it was wearing her down. Sachiko sama, her onee sama, was unwilling or unable to discuss with her what was wearing her down.

"Yumi chan are you alright?"

Before she could respond to Yoshino's questioning the bell rang and they all stood uniformly watching as their fellow students rushed the door eagerly heading towards the lunchroom chatting good naturedly.

"Ahh somehow I know I would find you all here. So how did the new writing creative literature class go? Did you all enjoy yourselves?"

"I received a B minus on our first assignment. I do believe that I will perform better upon our next."

Laughing Sei wedged herself between her petite soeur and Yumi, nodding to Yoshino before leaning back against the steps they were seated upon. While the first lunch that the past Rosa Ginantea appeared at had surprised each of them, they had almost come to expect some form of an appearance from the white rose.

". Just try and have fun. What about you Yumi chan? How'd you fair for your first creative writing assignment? What lewd smut have you been hiding within that brain of yours?"

The question threw Yumi through a loop and she was unsure of how to reply. On one hand she was almost ashamed that she had received a higher score than her friends there was no way that her paper could have been better than theirs. And the second she admitted her score they would ask to read her work and while she knew it was completely irrational she preferred that they did not. It was at times such as these she wished for her Onee Sama's ability to tactfully redirect the conversation, or provide an answer that said absolutely nothing.

So she asked herself what would Sachiko say?

Silently she thanked Maria sama when the words came to her, as if they had been whispered in her ear by a savior that only the wind could see.

"Satou san I do believe that you have a class of which you should currently be in."

Sachiko's voice iced over, still Yumi's eyes lit up as she jerked her head left to see none other than her beloved Onee Sama the sight of her stealing the breath from the younger girls lungs. Perfection strode toward them at a leisurely pace, pausing for a moment to smile affectionately in her direction before the smile faded, and Yumi choked in silent desperation as her Onee Sama continued on the connotation of her only speaking with Sei hanging in the air.

Shimako and Noriko shared a worried glance promising themselves that they would first find out what was wrong in the red rose family, and then fix the problem, whatever it may be.

Sei watched the scene unfold as Yumi's face sank thinking once more that the poor girl truly couldn't hide anything.

Still she couldn't help but to wonder…

.../…/

After school Yumi found herself to be the only petite soeur once again within the confines of the council room, rather than complain she busied herself with the art of tea making. Silently wishing that her friends were there for she had yet to make tea without burning herself, and each time she handled the delicate tea cups her heart fluttered in fear that she would drop them.

one trick was to set the tea cups on the table then fill them with fresh tea rather than fill them at the sink as she normally would, and attempt to carry them to the table. Sei sama had offered her that jewel of information upon her first year at Lillian. Shaking her head silently she wondered briefly if there was a way she could avoid the situation completely.

They meant well, and she was earnestly grateful to have such friends that cared. The bonds between the council were powerful long lasting and Yumi found herself pleased to have known such personalities however she was unsure that she could handle being at the table, open to their silent examination as they each sought to find what was wrong with her. Alas she had stay and well

Either way there was tea that had to be poured. She busied herself with the nominal tasks of preparing the council room for the meeting that was to commence. Experience told her that she would have the silence for close to five more minutes before the roses would filter in.

"Yumi Chan!"

Sei's arms wrapped themselves around Yumi, her left hand just happening to come to a rest quite close to the younger teenager's chest. Despite her fluttering heart rushing a surprised blush to her cheeks Yumi smiled relishing the comfort that the familiar gesture brought offered.

"Rosa Gigantea please I don't believe this is appropriate."

Yumi's heart just wasn't in the protest and Sei smiled though behind her smile her mind was running through different scenarios of why Yumi would be alone with such sadness playing its self across her face.

"Yumi chan where is your mind at the moment?"

Sei's question brought the pig tailed girl back from deep thoughts that she not meant to loose herself with and upon her realization of what had happened she helplessly blushed vividly.

"Ahh Rosa Gigantea I…"

It was that moment of course that Rei chan made her presence known at the doorway . Cursing under her breath Sei swore that she would uncover what was bothering her innocent Yumi chan before grinning like the Cheshire cat, Making a mental note to double check that the newspaper club wasn't publishing articles on her Yumi chan once again, Sei wrapped Yumi in her arms once again, this time there was no mistaking her intentions and Yumi squeaked as Sei's left hand in this embrace managed to find…

The meeting was indeed as Yumi had prophesized everyone at the table drowning under the tension still Sei's presence had helped and even Sachiko was willing to admit that.

/

Yumi's soundless foot falls padded through her dark bedroom as the sounds of tears falling from the sky magically added to the melancholy atmosphere. Silently she wished for rest that wouldn't come, instead of rest she sat at her desk for a moment resolving to do her homework. Slowly with steel drive she clicked on her desk lamp, the artificial illumination bringing light to her writing assignment.

_12 Roses _

_Twelve roses- the symbol of eternal love. _

_The kingdom of the roses was in a constant state of peril, for while there were many who admired the beauty and elegance of it's walls, there were those who would rather see it burned to the ground. In oerder to prevent this situation the King and the Queen created their own guards. The king's was filled with strapping men within the tip shape of youth, who were ready to defend the castle, king, and his family with their lives. _

_This story however is of the Queen's guardians. Maria cared for all in her kingdom and while her husband's guards were sufficient in protecting the palace her heart existed within her people. Unwilling to leave them defenseless she created the Yamigari, who watched over the kingdom traveling to and fro, the only female knights in the land. The noble three refers to the three branches named after the varieties of roses that grew in the land, the white roses were kin to rogues their talents unknown learned from thieves though one would not know it upon speaking with them. The yellow roses were quite powerful indeed known for their physical strength, agility, most of all their swordsmanship. The final branch of roses were the red roses, beautiful but deadly they excelled in the lost art of sorcery. _

_One could not simply be picked to be a knight of this order, they spent years as the petite soeur to a preexisting knight, until they passed the ordeals of knighthood. Our story starts with the Rosa Chinneses Petite Soeur. _

_You see in order to be recognized as a full-fledged knight one must accept a petite soeur, and in order to attend the ball without an escort of the courts choosing, one must be a full-fledged knight. The old fashioned rules wrought her ire for she herself had passed six of the seven requirements for knighthood with prodigious talent, her one missing mark was that of choosing a student. _

"_I refuse to attend." _

_Youku smirked unabashedly displaying amusement at her petite soeurs predicament. For the counterpart the court had appointed to her was simply unacceptable. She had warned the young knight on many occasions, going as far as to point out suitable candidates each displaying certain traits of which hinted at underlying predisposition to magic. _

"_You are required to attend, it is one of your duties as a knight, full fledged or not. There is still hope after all, you do have six hours left to find a petite soeur, announce the joining, and alert the court to your change in state."_

_Their conversation died at that moment as the knight's eyes widened then hardened with resolve. Rushed as it may be, she would find her petite soeur that day if It killed her, for there was no way that she would willingly allow such a man in the same room as her, let alone cling to his arm for an infinite night of awkward dancing, false sentiments of happiness, and forced laughter. _

_She was clothed faster than her onee sama could comprehend and before Youku could open her mouth, the younger knight stormed out of her chamber a whirlwind of determination bore of desperation. _

_As she elegantly strode through the castle she could feel the eyes of servants gawking at her, their presence was rather annoying however she tolerated the attention for it was after all only once a year that the entire yamagari and the kings men took up residence at the castle. The ball was to be lavish, a kingdom wide event that nobels and the upperclass traveled for miles to attend. _

"_Where could you be?"_

_She whispered searching the grounds from the stable hands to the kitchen pages she gave every individual at the castle a lasting glance searching for the sparks to indicate any glimmer of magical talent. _

"_And what might I ask could such a beautiful rose be doing out here alone?"_

_Turning about roughly her long dark hair intertwining with the wind her blue eyes iced over as the image of Satou Sei appeared before her. The yellow rose was one of which she found rather annoying, the rogue was undoubtedly uncouth. Her dislike for the woman meant nothing for even with disdane even Sachiko had to admit the older woman held much skill when it came to her trade. Sei had the ability to read even the most closed off of people as if they were open books a fact that unnerved Sachiko to her core, for she found that there were aspects of herself the other woman knew at a glance that she had yet to even realize yet. _

"_What is it that you require Satou san?"_

_The words were ice, frozen venom that did nothing but add to the mirth glimmering in Sei's eyes. _

"_Ahh this Rose has thorns. Come now it can not be that terrible. I do sense at least one castle hand that has the potential to perform magic. Can you not feel her pull?"_

_The question should have been rethorical, for they both knew that if Sachiko could find this magic user she would already have her name taken from the escorted ladies list. Closing her eyes she felt for the power, searching for the girl of which Sei spoke of. _

_Finally she felt weak ties of magic flowing about someone by the north wall, which made no sense. No one traveled to the north wall, it was interconnected to the rose forest that was protected with enchantments to powerful the king and queen were unable to enter at certain times. There was no reason for a palace hand to be intruding upon such hollow ground. _

_Soon she and Sei, much to her displeasure, found themselves looking at a simple young maid, whose back was to them as she tended to a wounded sparrow. As she placed it back onto the wall gently placing a finger on it's forehead Sachiko wondered if she was attempting to communicate with the creature. However she was thoroughly disappointed when after a moment of silence the girl turned around catching sight of them. _

_Shaking with fear she took an instinctual step back silent still. _

"_What might I ask do you think you are doing here? This ground is not open to the standard staff."_

_Sachiko's cold words caused the girl to shake in place however before she could continue her reprimand she noticed the light swirls of blue around the girl, recognizing the magic when she saw it, she couldn't help but to grow her ire. For she had indeed found the one hand in the palace that might be eligible for a position with the roses and it was but a simpleton that had no regard to rules. _

"_have you a name?"_

_The small girl squeaked almost inaudibly. _

"_Yumi."_

_Sachiko's arms crossed before her chest for a moment as she gazed down at the girl, her large brown eyes watering tears threatening to spill yet somehow she was able to staunch the flow and with a sigh Sachiko released her anger. _

"_Come, we will discuss this infringement among with a choice few other topics."_

_There were many questions that would need to be answered before she could declare the girl her petite soeur, and such a fool undoubtedly would be released from service by the queen and king, deemed unfit for the duties of a knight within a month. Smiling to herself she knew that this insolent child, was the solution to her problems, and with that stress relieved Sachiko began her journey to the main rooms of the castle with Yumi following behind her quaking in fear. _

_Satou Sei however remained where she had been standing her eyes widening as she noticed the bird the maid had been fawning over. It's wing that had an obvious break in it moments ago now appeared ready for flight. The magic blindingly bright as the bird leapt into the air soaring over her head creating momentarily a second sun in the sky. _

_Never had she seen magic of that magnitude and for a moment she could only gawk. _

"_Who are you really Yumi chan?"_

…_.._

Tapping her pen against the paper Yumi wondered how she ought to go about continuing her story, logically the next step would be to show the Yumi and Sachiko traveling through the halls of the castle however that seemed rather taxing and to be honest boring.

Resting the tip of the pencil against her lip she asked herself what she wanted to show the audience, and it became clear. Yumi in no way was a prime candidate for such a task as to follow anyone into knighthood, yet at the same time Sei sama saw something in her that convinced both herself and the queen to allow such arrangements to be made.

And just like that the solution was in her mind.

Placing her pen on the paper the words flew.

After an immeasurable amount of time Yumi leaned back in her chair both exhausted and reminiscing of her first few days with her own Onee sama, troubled mind relaxing at last as it slipped back into her first few memories with Sachiko sama. as her weary eyes closed her head fell forward coming to a rest on her desk and her mind allowed her to be swept into the arms of her idol as they danced across the room.

...

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So What'd you think? Drop a review and I'd be ever so greatful. The next chapter will be Yumi's 2nd chapter. I can only hope that it was as pleasurable for you all to read as it was for me to write.

Yours truly,

-G. Laces


	2. Chapter 2

_12 roses chapter two. _

_Satou Sei stood staring at the dazed girl, who somehow managed to remain standing after such an onslaught. She had been surprised with the younger girls request for help in the field of swordsmanship and under normal circumstances she would have informed the girl that such skills were to be acquired from her master knight. Yumi however was not normal-quite far from it. The arrangement allowed her to observe the girl, and perhaps pump her for information without having to create an excuse to spirit away Sachiko's petite soeur. _

"_Humm, I suppose with such a beautiful face you would be a lover not a fighter."_

_The girl squeaked and Sei would have almost been willing to admit that she did indeed find her flustered state to be interesting, and she enjoyed forcing Yumi out of her element. Such strong reactions for all to see, there was no doubt as to why the fates had not placed her in the white rose family. 'still' she thought rather sullenly, 'it would have been fun to have such a creature by my side.'_

"_Come on, you've had enough. Would you grace me with your presence for lunch?"  
_

_They both knew that Sei asking had been more of a pleasentry rather than a request because Yumi now was below the other girl as far as the chain of command went and her eyes widened as she realized the connotations of having to do anything that the taller girl requested. Shaking such throughts from her head and promising herself that they were completely unjustified, though she wasn't sure of that, she stood and followed the white knight. _

"_I'm honored to have such a beauty dining with me. Ahh but now that we're alone Yumi chan, tell me. How has your first week as a knight gone?"_

_Few things brought such mirth to her chest however Sei found the endearing way that Yumi's eyes had widened at the beginning of her sentence had become one of them. _

"_Umm well I, I mean.."_

_Wanting to put the younger girl at ease Sei sighed as she dipped her bread in her chicken soup it was a rather meager meal for a knight however she had never been one to indulge in such regal fallacies. It was truly a pathetic puppet show, the fine dining dinners one of the few optional scenes. It seemed that her attitude, silence and patient which was not honestly part of the nature she displayed before others, Yumi relaxed silently. _

"_The first night was the worst. Sachiko sama led me to her chambers where she offered me a rosary, and a sword. I umm, well, I was unsure that I should take it. I'm not trying to diminish myself or anything of the sort but I know what I am, and she deserves better. Those were the thoughts running through my mind and after I accepted and followed her to the great hall to meet with the queen, I could feel the eyes of everyone in the castle upon me, and they agreed with my previous sentiment. _

_That Sachiko sama could have done quite a bit better."_

_Wondering briefly if this was the reason the smaller girl had yet to refer to her master knight as Onee Sama as all trainees were encouraged to so, Sei reached for another slice of bread nodding for Yumi to continue with her story. _

_And as the bread was lifted to her lips the dam holding Yumi's resolve broke as the younger girl spilled her true thoughts of the past few days. _

"_I didn't mean to mistake Rei Sama as a castle hand. I swear, but when she approached me in such an informal manner I well, I felt as if she were someone I could talk to. She asked me why I was alone in an unused area of the library and i told her the truth-that am unsuitable to be a petite soeur. She asked me why that was, and then she stood offering me her hand. I was confused until she said, "You have a dance to attend tomorrow night am I corret? At the very least I can help teach you to dance."_

_Suddenly it made sense why Rei had argued in such a spirited manner with Sachiko over her decision. _

"_Well Yumi Chan are you ready to get back to work?"_

_The smaller girl squeaked and Sei sama smiled knowing that she had forgotten the entire reason that they were spending time together and she had to admit that she found the younger girl's habits endearing. Sill to their newest member It had to feel as if she was caught in a whirlwind of emotion without the time to sort through any of what was changing in her life. Walking once more towards the area of the courtyard reserved for the training of knights, Sei felt compelled to ask one more question. _

"_So did you ever get to see Sachiko again?"_

_The smaller girl at her side halted for a moment as a tell all blush covered her face accompanying a yearning grin and the stars in her hazy eyes. _

_Flashback _

_Shifting awkwardly clinging to the stone wall of the ball room Yumi wished to be anywhere else. The hordes of obnoxious people were suffocating her even if this had been the world she'd been born into she knew that she would not enjoy this. Glancing over at the open doorways leading out to the gardens Yumi quickly slipped out looking up at the stars, finding a spot as far away from the people as she could safely be, and there she sighed catching her breath. _

"_I did not consider how overwhelming such functions may be your first time in attendance, Yumi forgive me." _

_Looking up she saw none other than the reason for her confusion, for every emotion she had been feeling for the past thirty nine hours. Sachiko sama was truly beautiful in the moon light her dark hair and storm blue eyes enchanting. Next to such a perfect visage she knew she appeared even more out of place however to Sachiko, well Yumi was the definition of serenity. _

"_Have you at least shared a dance?"_

_Shaking her head quietly Yumi flinched awaiting scolding for not partaking in the festivities as was expected of a petite soeur, or well rather what she though was to be expected from a petite soeur. If the only knew that half of them along with their older counterparts had arrived for social appearances ony then retreated to separate locations in the garden. _

_Sachiko's eyes clouded over for a moment confounding Yumi, for she saw no reason for such sadness to appear in the eyes of perfection. Then an even more impossible event occurred as an open hand was offered to her. Following the hand up the arm and then to the eyes of the older knight she paused wondering what was going on._

"_Come."_

_The soft words mingled with the atmosphere creating a moment that exceeded her expectations of perfection. Taking the hand in an unsure manner, for there was no way Sachiko knew what she was doing in choosing her, she attempted to focus on not stepping on the older woman's feet for the first few momentshowever soon her body relaxed into the other and they twirled about the castle gardens by the light of the moon, the picturesque moment stealingthe breath of anyone who just so happened to glance their way. __

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_

Well i've ended this chapter in a similar manner to the last chapter. What can i say? I love to think of the two wrapped within one anotheres arms. The next Chapter will be up soon. Other than that drop a review because well...*smiles* i'm starved for human interaction.

Yours Truly,

G. Laces.

P.S. I really love getting to write two stores in two seperate running timelines...


	3. Chapter 3

"Onee sama. I…"

Yumi's voice cut out as she tried to articulate her feelings, a desperate feat which eluded her. She found at that moment her decision to hold off on delievering the actual speech to her Onee sama until she was sure she could transpose her emotion to word had been one she would not regret, quite the opposite really.

"Yumi?"

Sachiko's tone held a slight variation which could easily be attributed to her surprise upon finding her petite soeur in the rose mansion before classes. The smaller girl jumped a small eekk escaping her lips as she whirled about to face the object of her troubles, hopes, and everything in-between unable to hide her surprise and what Sachiko believed to be fear in the younger girls eyes.

"Onee sama."

Yumi desperately wanted to rush to the Rosa Chinnes however she found herself unable to move tethered to the spot by self doubt. Her eyes though conveyed her message quite clearly. Sachiko read only what she saw before her, fear and longing . Taking the combination as a negative sign she sighed wondering if all human relationships were so frail as to fall to pieces under the weight of time. Love. Such a fragile abstraction of an idea, she was mentally berating herself for she should have known that nothing could withstand her cold distance, least of all the innocent girl before her.

"Yumi Chan, perhaps we should sit down for a moment. We have prolonged this inevitable discussion long enough."

Yumi's eyes widened wondering what her Onee Sama wanted to say, fearing the worst. Her insecurities catching up once again to her, she shakily nodded however rather than taking a seat in the mansion she decided that if she were to have this discussion it would be at a location of meaning. So, she smiled sadly taking the hand that was offered and with all of her courage managed to lead her onee sama to the door, Sachiko's eye widened for a moment before realizing her petite soeur's intentions. The moment they stepped out of the mansion Sachiko took the lead, their hands clasped together fingers intertwined desperately clinging to one another. On lookers watched the rosa chinnese and en bouton pass with envy, unaware of the weight pulling at each girl's heart.

Upon reaching the green house Yumi took a seat along side her onee sama, once again finding the courage to speak. Well what I describe as courage truly is the desperate frustration that had been building up for the previous few weeks. In an enlightened explosion of raw emotion all Sachiko could see coming was the fear, frustration, and love playing across Yumi's face.

"Onee sama. I don't know what's been going on in your life but i…i..want, no, I need. Yes. I need…you need to know that i was wrong. I should have stood behind you, trusted you even when I didn't know what was wrong. I should have never pressured you to tell me because, because, I'm your petite soeur. It's my job to believe in you no matter what, to remain by your side no matter how desperate the situation. Aaand from now on I will, if yyou sstill want me. Either way, I I I'm sorry."

The insecurity rearing its head once again was endearing and Sachiko found that her petite soeur's innocent earnest words always seemed to have incredible impact. Though Yumi lacked etiquette in such moments, with such powerfully raw emotion etiquette seemed to be a lesser matter. Conditioning, etiquette classes, years of proper training had refined Sachiko's tongue however her heart eased at hearing those words and all of the debutant courses in the world could not have prevent her from reaching out the smaller girl.

"Yumi."

The brown eyed girl's eyes widened her innocent countenance revealing suprise with the display of affection.

"Onee Sama."

Despite the circumstances leading up to that point, neither girl would have traded that moment for the world. Sachiko's arms remained about her petite soeur in the green house while the girl in question did her best to return the sentiment wrapping her arms hesitantly about her onee sama. They remained in that position for quite a while taking solace from the other's presence neither moving to break the intimacy upon the ringing of the school bells. In fact they remained together speaking of light topics for the entirety of their morning classes. Undoubtedly their bond was powerful, unbreakable truly, however in that time they were able to mend the chips that had been wearing into it, and scrape away the rust.

…

"You just don't know how brilliant this girl is. She sits in the back hiding behind her wide innocent eyes, but the way her mind works, the way she see's everything that's going on about her is truly astounding. She by far is the best author in class simply because she's seen the way people in the real world interact and has found a way to transpose their very real interaction into a fictional world of her creation!"

Ms. Nakamaru was undoubtedly a young teacher and while her enthusiasm had outlasted the two months her colleagues had predicted, a novice teacher lived more so on ideals, dreams, and hopes than the actual practice. Knowing this Samaru felt doubt that the fictional works she had received were upon the top level of the school, he highly doubted that this student, whomever she may be, was more than a child writing of her adventures in wonderland. Still the vexed woman before him would not leave unless he offered advice, this he had learnt the hard way after suffering through many diatribes of the brilliance of students he could truly could not care less about. So huffing a sigh of annoyance he looked up at the woman from a poorly written thesis upon an overdone topic.

"Do nothing. If she truly is as brilliant as you say, stop giving her one hundreds. If she feels there is room to grow she will, if you don't point out where she is succeeding then she will branch out into new directions and grow rather than falling into a rut of what she knows will get her an A."

Nakamaru's face contorted at his words.

"How will that help her outside of the class room? I'm worried."

Shaking his head, finally placing his pen upon the desk and laying his hands palm down before him he made very direct eye contact with the daft woman.

"Nakamaru remember your place. It is our job as teachers to help students to grow in all horizons related to the subject that we teach. You are not to get emotionally involved. That will only lead to heartbreak. Take my words. If you want to help your students, don't cross the lines that have been drawn in the sand."

Though harsh this was honestly his philosophy, still something in his tone had hardened Nakamaru. Her face transforming before him from troubled and questioning to stone set with determination. Fully believing that he had finally gotten through to her he once more picked up his pen, returning to grading his students work however, poor it may be. After he had read, and properly corrected three paragraphs he glanced up annoyed that the woman would not leave.

"No. We are meant to get emotionally involved. There's more to teaching than just bleeding red pen upon hours of a student's hard work and dedication. We owe it to them to help them to grow in every way possible. It's our job to guide them unto a point where we are sure that they can face whatever destiny the stars have written for them."

And as she turned, walking out of his room for what she promised herself would be the last time, she made a silent resolution to never again grade in such an offensive pompous color.

Either way she realized that he did have a point, Yumi needed to feel that there was room to grow. Glancing down at the copies of Yumi's first chapter that she would distribute to her classes, she tried to come up with a grade that was still an A, yet low enough that her student would not become complacent.

…

_Even if Onee Sama sought me out to inform me in person that she would be unable to meet with me this weekend, it's nice that we no longer have that distance between us. Still though, am I really able to help her if I don't know what's wrong? _

_I don't know. _

_I just need to have the faith in her that I should. She is my Onee Sama, and no matter what my place is by her side. That's the only place I want to be anyway. _

"There you are, Yumi,! Where were you in class today? You missed the top story, The Rose Tales."

If Yoshino said anything more Yumi didn't hear it. Her eyes widened upon hearing the title of the story, her story. Looking to Shimako for confirmation her heart stopped beating as her friend nodded. It didn't matter that Sensei Nakamaru had believed her story to be the best in the class, the younger girl completely overlooked that detail jumping straight to the fact that everyone now had read her tail. Forcing herself to breath she rationalized that Sachiko Sama would maintain composure until she knew weather the paper had been printed with her name upon it or not.

"Yes. The author used the Yamayurigki as stock characters much as the people of ancient Greece and Rome used their gods."

Realizing how pretentious her words appeared Shimako closed her mouth thoughtfully allowing Yoshino to take over the conversation as she looked over her friend. Yumi was terribly easy to read and something was troubling her simple friend. Wishing that Sachiko would take the time to resolve the situation Shimako quietly sipped her tea listening to Yoshino while her eyes and mind remained on Yumi.

"Yeah, whoever it was used Sachiko, Yoko, Sei, Rei, and you. I was completely left out, so was Shimako. Maybe we'll appear in the next chapter. Oh yeah that's the assignment you missed by the way. We're supposed to write at least twenty five hundred more words over the weekend. She's crazy! Expecting us to write so much before we return

Talking about crazy, she graded my paper with green pen!"

Looking up from her tea Shimako thoughtfully stared into the distance for a moment before offering her piece.

"I rather like the change in color."

Shaking her head Yoshino turned her attention back to Yumi.

"Yeah well I suppose you'll have to go turn your second chapter in after school. I'll go with you, by the way where were you?"

It was in that moment that the bell rang cutting the conversation short which Yumi found herself grateful for as they gathered their belongings before slowly making their ways to arithmetic.

…

It was officially the weekend and as Yumi sat at her desk she wondered what to do. Her Onee Sama once was well, she was unsure. Glancing at her calander on the wall, and starring at it for a few moments she finally sighed, pulling out her pen and a writing pad she lost herself in her own world.

…

Sunday night Yukki sighed as he looked in upon his sisters room. She'd been huddled over a writing pad for the entire weekend only leaving her room briefly for food. While it was refreshing to find her passionate about something it worried him that she was neglecting her needs. Sighing he walked in clicking off the desk lamp, before leading his groggy sister to her bed where which he softly tucked her into.

…

Alright so I hope you found this chapter pleasing…I own nothing by the way so don't sue me it's not worth it…

So the next chapter is totally awesome! And I might be swayed to put off that college stats homework just a bit longer to proof it so that it'll be up sooner . Ah, who am I kidding I'd update either way. I have plans for this story…Reviews just make me giddy.

Yours Truly.

G. Laces.


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